In February 1986, The Replacements performed a classic live show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. That night, a 24-track mobile studio was on hand to record the quartet as they careened through a 29-song marathon that mixed tracks from all of the band's albums to date with B-sides and covers. Until now, that pristine recording of the legendary performance has only been available in low-quality bootleg form. Even so, Pitchfork has called the show "a fiery, focused set that would make a true believer out of any skeptic."
On Oct. 6, FOR SALE: LIVE AT MAXWELL'S 1986 will finally make its commercial debut as a two-disc set and a double-LP. The music will also be available on digital download and streaming services. This marks the first live album by the band to see an official release on any of these formats. Their infamous 1985 live release The Shit Hits The Fans, famously recorded with an audience of roughly 30 people, was only available on cassette. The set also includes new liner notes by Bob Mehr, author of the New York Times bestseller Trouble Boys: The True Story Of The Replacements, as well as never-before-seen photos from the Maxwell's show by noted music writer and photographer Caryn Rose.
Paul Westerberg, Bob Stinson, his brother Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars made their major-label debut in October 1985 with the release of Tim on Sire/Warner Bros. When the acclaimed album reached the charts in January, the band was preparing to perform on "Saturday Night Live" - where they would later be banned for life for using profanity live on air - before launching a short East Coast tour that included the show in Hoboken.
The show at Maxwell's would prove to be one of the last great performances by the four original members of the Replacements, a much beloved line-up including Bob Stinson on guitar, before his departure from the band in 1986. The songs they played spanned the band's entire history while giving prominence to new material from Tim, including "Bastards Of Young," "Left Of The Dial" and "Kiss Me On The Bus." Mixed in were favorites like "I Will Dare" from Let It Be (1984) and "Color Me Impressed" from Hootenanny (1983). But it was songs from the band's first album - Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981) - that seemed to summon their best on furious versions of "Takin' A Ride" and "I'm In Trouble."
The original 24-track master tapes of the show sat in the Warner Music vaults until being given a proper mix in 2007, but it would still be another decade before the concert would get its official release. Mehr writes in the album's liner notes: "Now, a decade later, and more than 30 years after the original concert, Replacements For Sale finally offers high-fidelity proof of the peculiar alchemy and unadulterated majesty of one of rock and roll's greatest bands."
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